SEVERE FIRE WEATHER WARNING!

Source: http://forecast.weather.gov/wwamap/wwatxtget.php?cwa=sew&wwa=red%20flag%20warning

URGENT - FIRE WEATHER MESSAGE - NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SEATTLE WA 3:48 PM PDT SAT JUL 25 2009...

ONE OF THE MOST CRITICAL FIRE WEATHER SETUPS IN YEARS FOR WESTERN WASHINGTON....AN UPPER LEVEL LOW PRESSURE CENTER CONTINUES TO SPIN OVER CENTRAL WASHINGTON THIS AFTERNOON.

WARNING TO STRAIT OF JUAN DE FUCA AND NORTHWEST INTERIOR LOWLANDS-CENTRAL AND SOUTH PUGET SOUND LOWLANDS-WEST SLOPES OF THE NORTH CASCADES-WEST SLOPES OF THE CENTRAL CASCADES-NORTH CASCADES-CENTRAL CASCADES-EAST PORTION OF THE OLYMPIC MOUNTAINS-EAST PORTION OF NORTH CASCADES NATIONAL PARK/LAKE CHELAN NATIONALRECREATIONAL AREA

RED FLAG WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 5 AM PDT SUNDAY...AN UPPER LEVEL LOW PRESSURE CENTER CONTINUED TO SPIN OVER CENTRAL WASHINGTON ON SATURDAY AFTERNOON. THUNDERSTORMS HAD ALREADY DEVELOPED OVER SOUTHERN BRITISH COLUMBIA AND WILL MOVE SOUTHWEST INTO WESTERN WASHINGTON LATER THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT AS THEY TRACK AROUND THE PERIPHERY OF THE UPPER LOW. THE STORMS WILL FIRST REACH THE NORTH CASCADES AND NORTH INTERIOR...THEN SPREAD SOUTHWEST AND SOUTH THIS EVENING THROUGH THE CENTRAL CASCADES AND THE PUGET SOUND LOWLANDS. THUNDERSTORMS COULD ALSO CLIP THE EAST SLOPES OF THE OLYMPIC MOUNTAINS.

SOME OF THESE THUNDERSTORMS ARE EXPECTED TO BE UNUSUALLY PROLIFIC LIGHTNING PRODUCERS. GIVEN THE EXPECTED ABUNDANCE OF LIGHTNING AND CRITICALLY DRY FUEL STATES...MULTIPLE FIRE IGNITIONS ARE EXPECTED. ONE THING THAT MAKES THIS ROUND OF LIGHTNING SO CRITICAL IS THAT IT WILL BE FOLLOWED UP ON SUNDAY AND MONDAY BY A BUILDING AND PROLONGED HEAT WAVE. UNLIKE WESTERN WASHINGTON`S TYPICALLIGHTNING PATTERN IN WHICH LIGHTNING IS FOLLOWED BY COOL MARINE AIR...THIS LIGHTNING PATTERN WILL BE FOLLOWED INSTEAD BY HOT...DRY AND INCREASINGLY UNSTABLE WEATHER ON SUNDAY...MONDAY AND TUESDAY. THIS WILL MAKE HOLDOVER AND SLEEPER FIRES A GREAT CONCERN IN THE DAYS TO COME.

PLEASE RELAY THIS MESSAGE TO FIRE AND ENGINE CREWS IN THE FIELD. PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...PEOPLE WHO WILL BE OUTDOORS FROM THIS AFTERNOON THROUGH TONIGHT SHOULD BE AWARE OF THE LIGHTNING THREAT AND THE ENHANCED THREAT OF WILDFIRES. MAKE AN EXTRA EFFORT TO FULLY EXTINGUISH CAMPFIRES AND REPORT ANY NEW WILD FIRES WHICH YOU MIGHT SEE. FIREFIGHTING AGENCIES SHOULD BE READY FOR SEVERAL BUSY DAYS OF INITIAL ATTACK.

A RED FLAG WARNING IS ISSUED WHEN DRY LIGHTNING OR THECOMBINATION OF STRONG WINDS AND LOW HUMIDITIES ARE IMMINENT OR OCCURRING.

WEATHER.GOV/SEATTLE

Even More About Physical Preparations

I have been traveling quite a bit this last month and just came back from spending a week in the woods backpacking on the Hoh River Trail.

What a wakeup call for me physically!

I would like to pass along some information that while we are preparing, we need to remember to keep that body of ours in mind. After all, we have nothing if we do not have our health, right?

I mean it is very important to stay physically prepared by also being fit physically. This is accomplished by eating a balanced diet, getting proper rest, and a exercising regularly. IF any of these are out of balance, either too much or too little, we will have a problem when real stress is added to our workload, especially in the case of survival, or else we must sacrifice the quality of our life style and habits to down time.

For me, I have been violating all three: diet, exercise and rest. The results are not pretty - sore feet, sore legs, sore butt, sore stomach, sore back and sore shoulders. As I struggled down the trail, one of my daughter's girl's camp hiking songs came to memory and brought me a smile, where they would sing cadence while backpacking, "My back aches, my belt's too tight, my hips shake from left to right, left,...left,...left, right,...left!" As they sang they would do all the motions of left to right hip movements and then kick their left legs up in the air. It was quite funny then. Still funny now!

Also, remember, when you get older, you must take into consideration the amount of load you are carrying both around your middle as well as what you have in your backpack because the combination of increased weight all bears down on your feet, legs, back, etc...

Also, the intensity of your activity, including the distance you are going to travel adds into the factors of how well you will do. If you push the envelope like I did with a very heavy backpack, with poor physical conditioning, you have a formula for disaster or at best a very sore body.

I remember when I was in my twenties, I used to swear by such phrases as, "No pain, no gain!" and "No distance, no glory!" Now at 60, I have changed my phrases to, "If it hurts, that is a warning!" and "If you wish to complete the distance, slow down, smell the flowers and enjoy the scenary!" "Hey is that an edible plant? I need to stop and take a picture of it!"

My how life is a taskmaster in teaching such little lessons...